Blackburn caretaker manager Eric Black described match-winner Jordan Rhodes as a "top, top finisher" after his injury-time goal gave Blackburn a 1-0 win over Watford in the npower Championship.

The former Huddersfield striker controlled a Martin Olsson shot before slotting in his seventh goal of the season, his fifth for Blackburn, which helped to maintain Black's unbeaten stint in charge.

The win gave Rovers back-to-back wins for the third time this season.

Black was full of praise of the Scotland international, saying: "If you'd come to the game and watched the first 80-odd minutes you'd have said, 'Oh, he's not done this and he's not done that'.

"But to be fair to the kid we don't, at this moment in time, give him the opportunities that his finishing deserves.

"However he's a top, top finisher and that was typical of a top finisher. Not in the game for spells and it was a wonderful finish."

Black also paid tribute to the rest of the team's concentration, after they secured Rovers' third clean sheet in the last five games.

He said: "I thought the players were fantastic. Their concentration, trying to be patient, trying to circulate the ball, trying to create in the last third where there are numerous amounts of bodies in front of you, and the back being focused on the counter and the defensive side ... so they deserve enormous credit."

Watford manager Gianfranco Zola felt his side played well enough for a point after watching them fail to score for only the third time this season.

Zola said: "I honestly couldn't see them (Blackburn) scoring because they were not causing any particular problems to our defence so I thought the game was gone.

"But you have teams that never give up until the end so you can't say the game is gone.

"Maybe five minutes of 'extra-time' felt too long from my point of view but no complaints really.

"I can't classify it as a fortunate goal. With no disrespect towards Rhodes who scored a good goal, but probably towards the end we started to defend too deep and when you do that, you know it's always a risk."

Zola also promised improvements after his side's second consecutive defeat.

He said: "This is the third game in a week so it can be more difficult to defend deep and get to their end to counter-attack.

"It is difficult but we know that and we will work and improve on that."

In a game of few clear-cut chances, Blackburn wasted two good headed opportunities in the second half.

First, Colin Kazim-Richards nodded Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross straight at Manuel Almunia and then Rhodes headed over a Martin Olsson cross also from the left.

Blackburn wasted a great chance to break the deadlock with 14 minutes remaining. Rhodes hammered a shot towards goal that hit defender Tommie Hoban's hand just inside the area and referee Carl Boyeson pointed to the penalty spot.

Kazim-Richards slammed his penalty against the crossbar.

Watford remained under pressure as the game went on but fashioned a chance after 80 minutes.

Troy Deeney flicked on a free-kick into the path of Lloyd Doyley who scuffed his volley wide under no pressure.

Rovers finally snatched the win thanks to Rhodes. He did brilliantly to control Olsson's shot before sorting his feet out to fire into Almunia's left corner from 12 yards.